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Sunday, April 26, 2009

After yesterday's ride I had my bike serviced... replaced my bald/old Chengshin 26"x1.95 rear tire to a Innova 26"x1.95 mountain bike tire... made in taiwan of course. It may not be the best brand, but it will take me to places.

Anyhow aside from that I also had my rusted steel handlebar and stem replaced with a Aluminum Stem and Handlebar (both have logos of Scott and Specialized, but definitely its not original... just replicas), My ride's finally better looking than it was a few years and months ago sporting Dad's old setup. But of course I'm not going for looks when it comes to customizing my ride, brands of course is never a first thing... its always the quality and the usage. Upon installing my rear tire, we also found out that my inner tube has two holes... thus I had to opt to change my interior with a local one.

Anyways... here is my bike's current set-up as of now:

it's almost modernized... of course my frame and fork's still prehistoric

Scott USA and Specialized branded replicas... cheaper opt no?

Anyways this morning I decided to give the new set-up a spin around the city... This time its a rather longer route than my usual rides.

From the house (Tandang Sora), I pedaled my way to Sandiganbayan and turned right to San Mateo... I was supposed to go to Timberland this morning and experience the steep uphill and rolling downhill everyone was talking about. A few of my friends from PMTB organized the ride to Timberland... but a lot of them backedout, thus cancelling the ascencion to the steep uphills. Anyways from San Mateo I took a right turn and headed for Katipunan, its been years since I had my ways in Marikina, sooo... I had to follow jeeps and asked for directions to get to Katipunan. After 30 minutes I was at Ateneo.

By that time I was already exhausted... so after a 45 minute city ride, I rode back to UP via Katipunan Ave. Arriving at Mang Manny's after 10 minutes... I met up with Sir Jay, Sir Alvin (i'm not sure if it wa Alvin or it was Allen, basta he's the owner of the Giant MTB with a carbon rear)... and the Bike Guru: Sir Edwin... of course we had some chats and etc. over a hot cup of Taho (yum, and full of protein for more energy)... chatting with them was quite cooling... of course sharing the same enjoyment and fun over MTBs.

Anyways after 30 minutes of interaction we had to part ways... they went home while I completed me ride... taking a tour around UP... after 15 minutes I went back to Katipunan and headed south, turning to Aurora Blvd. till I got to Anonas... from there I rode uphill to Sikatuna Rd.... then Teacher's Village then back to UP... it was a 25 minute ride... by that time I was already hungry... I went back to Mang Manny's for a bowl of Lugaw with Egg and a bowl of Sopas (ndi ako gutom ano? ehehe). Being a devotee of Greenpeace I didn't bother getting another bowl and opted using my previous bowl used for the Lugaw for the Sopas.

After resting for 5 minutes I rode again around UP... after 5 laps around I started noticing this time that the whole University Oval is congested with joggers and some bikers... it was time to go home... taking the overpass from UP to Central and back to Tandang Sora and entering Tierra Bella back to Tierra Gloria... my village. I got back home at 9:11am.

So in total I was out from 6:09am to 9:11am... a total of 3 hours and a few minutes... and to minus my rest time of 35 minutes... I was pedaling for a total of 2 hours and 25 minutes... quite a good exercise...

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Anyways May 1's a holiday plus its my birthday... I just wish I could tackle Grotto this friday to give thanks to the Lord, our God for a wonderful year it was... if I wake-up a little late... I might take on UP again... and possibly, I wish... Antipolo.

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By the way if you might remember, I mentioned earlier in a few posts about the belt-bag I bought from The North Face... it's actually called Sport Hiker and not Bike Rider... XD my mistake sorry...

Anyhow here's how it looks like:

Its rather full with my last ride's paraphernalias... such as:Bike Tools, Allen Wrenches, Cloud9 Choco Bars, Petty Cash, Bike Lock and Keys,Extra Sweatshirt, Celphone, IPod, a pen and notepad.

Tomorrow this bag's going to be jampacked with my weekdays office gear. I'm really proud of this purchase I made.

Anyways... tomorrow its back to reality for me and for all of us... till next post.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

I woke up late today compared to my usual rides. 6:00am is considered late in my case.

With a near-death rear tire (tire tread's already nearing its limit)... I took my 16-year old bike to the end of Mindanao Avenue just passing by Quirino Highway then took a U-Turn back to North Avenue... taking a turn heading towards Quezon Circle... then back to UP...

I last checked PinoyMTB about the Heartbreak Hill... I didn't know a trail or a slope existed within UP... so I took the chance this morning to take my bike for a ride climbing the slopes of Heartbreak Hill. T'was quite exciting...

Anyways after tackling heartbreak hill, I stopped by Mang Manny's for a bowl of sopas... thats where I met Sir Jay again from last Sunday's ride... I also got to meet his fellow bikers... I forgot both of his friends' names... but all I remember they're both A's. And also a UP Professor, Sir Norman.

a 30 minute chat was enough to digest the Hot Bowl of Sopas... then it was back to pedaling my ride again... and back home.

3 hours and 15 minutes is my record for today's ride... I hope I get to ride again tomorrow... sana...

After having my license renewed... I dropped by UST to pick-up my paycheck from teaching at the Alternative Classes last February @ the College of Education... I also dropped by the Publishing house to grab a copy of my Graduation Yearbook... with also a chunk full of time...

Sooo... I decided to apply for an Alumni Card, sadly cards aren't yet available till the 28th this month... so anyways I had to process it, so when I come back after the 28th I can pick-up the Alumni Card... and an even more valid ID than my expired UST ID.

Going home, I decided to pick-up also my paycheck from my Tayong Dalawa talent a few months ago.

With 2.5k and 1.3k at hand... it was time to buy something worth useful and fruitful... and that's the bag I've been saving up for a long time a: The North Face Bike Rider Beltbag... its worth P3,490... but it was worth the buy... I needed a bag that could carry everything I needed... for work and as well as riding my MTB.

So its back to the real world for me tomorrow... a new portion of my life.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

There are four words that goes with Overtime... "More Income" and "Less Sleep"

I actually just came home from work, and had a little chunk of energy left to type this entry before I go bye-bye. Recently I work an additional 1 to 2 hours 30 from my regular 7 hours 30 sched, to put it clearly... we've got 3 virtual stores, up and lined for deadline this week and most probably next week too.

And to answer it bluntly: I'm damned tired, even though its fun and challenging doing 3d instores.

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On another note... Sir Joseph Gemora (Lucid's General Manager) borrowed my pocket camera and took some shots of Lucid @ Work... I unno what's it for... but he needs it for tomorrow... anyhow here are some shots of our office. Photos care of me and Sir Joseph.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Today is Easter Sunday, the day when Jesus Christ rose from the dead... and also marks the end of Holy Week. And for us employed and working marks the end of a short vacation from the province or a rest vacation from home.

Its time to wake up again 5 or 6 or 7 in the morning for a cup of joe, breakfast, and rush hour.

Of course there's also traffic if we're talking about rush hour. The same thing we meet everyday during weekdays.

In my case I'm going to meet face to face tomorrow is the Gillette POSM Instore that I left last Wednesday. What's worse is the deadline set at the end of the day tomorrow. Crap ain't it?

But what's not part of that crap, is having to use a different CPU and Monitor... Lucid just received its artillery upgrade from the higher-ups.

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When Jesus rose from the dead we were saved from all our sins... but there's always a question... Tomorrow when you wake-up... you sin again... will you be saved? Holy Week only happens once a year... Easter Sunday is also once a year.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

my 15 year-old something Mt.Bike... pamana ni Dad sa akin.Last time I used it was 4 years ago, so its quite outdated.

I'm back on track to urban cycling... I just started once again yesterday with a route from my house to Tandag Sora - Commonwealth - Central (Iglesia ni Kristo)- Central overpass - UP - UP Oval - UP again - then Central Overpass - Central Avenue - Visayas Avenue - Sanville - Tandang Sora - then back home...

I also noticed yesterday that most Pinoys this year spent their Holy Week in the city... andami kasing joggers sa UP nung thursday. It just proves na maraming nagtitipid ngayon compared to last year when all of us Pinoys went to spend our vacations in our respective provinces and/or somewhere cozy.

The road may look clean but... believe me there are a lot of joggers as well as cyclists yesterday

Just love that sunrise

Manong Dingdong, his taho hits the spot!you can meet him near the UP Engineering Bldg.

Ever since I started pedaling once more, I started to enjoy doing it once again. It just makes that my favorite sport isn't just Airsoft... but also Urban Biking... it will take more training before I can tackle Mountain Biking and climb Antipolo and Tanay... maybe even long distance biking to Tagaytay and Quezon Province.

By the way you guys should try the taho being sold at the UP Oval near the Engineering Building... masarap at nakakabusog, been on an eating spree (3 cups of hot taho a day) since kanina.

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Oh by the way, originally I should be biking while my dad's jogging and do the same routes... sadly there were times that I woke up earlier than him and vice versa. So eventually its been two days including today that we haven't been doing a right tandem exercise.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Yesterday was the start of the Bisita Iglesia, a tradition part of Chirstendom's holy week celebration. Usually we visit numerous churches and chapels to do the Stations of the Cross... but sadly we diverted from the usual thing this year... we dropped by at Makati yesterday to meet Tita Sol's maid @ the Ayala MRT Station to deliver a parcel from our relatives abroad.

But you know what, I noticed that my dad surely doesn't fit with the crowd... mukha syang: "Mayamang Tsinoy". Although not really, my dad's only 1/4 Chinese and 3/4 Ilocanong Noypi. Now back to what happened... we were waiting for her to arrive, my dad was getting grumpy and was telling my mom that we should've dropped the package at their house than wait at the station... well sadly it was already there, nothing else to do but wait... she arrived at 12:00pm, 30 after the said time to meet.

My family waiting by the MRT for Tita Sol's maid

Check out my Dad... not really meant to/for be waiting

Their reason was traffic... but the best reason would be... there was no traffic.

When Holy Week arrives most of the people are in province, and only a few stays in Manila / NCR. Also during Holy Week, rides are scarce... so there's always no traffic.

Anyhow, after Makati we headed for Pasay City Reclamation Area and continue our Bisita Iglesia at the Church near SM Mall of Asia... but before that of course we had lunch at Gerry's Grill MOA... that waiting at Makati made us all hungry.

After doing the Stations of the Cross @ the church near Mall of Asia... we decided to take a mass at Ateneo de Manila's Church of the GESU... and boy having the mass there made my day complete (compared to having mass at OLCP, the church near our village). Ambience wise and of course homily wise.

Dad participated in the 10k category of the 1st Airspeed Marathon held at the MOA... of course I was also there, but not to run but to cover the event although not an official photographer.The event was breathtaking even as I was only taking the shots during the runs...

But again as well... I'm not good at commentating games or marathons and etc. But capturing the drama in these events made me happy the most...

Well my Dad wasn't able to win in any awarding category, he finished middle placer at around 100 something among the 700 something who participated in 10k run. I'm proud of him, because he was able to beat his own time/record... and of course because he had fun. Thats the best part in any sport, as long as you had "fun".

I've been busy at the office for the past few days... andami kasi naming deadlines na hinahabol. But of course as requested by some of our comrades, tumaas ang morale ko to post the photos from last first saturday's airsoft game.

HGSL (HTMT Global Solutions Limited) Airsoft Team was invited by my father, Tony... with the permission of Sir Horace Kapunan, to come and join us at playing our favorite game at the eastern fort, "The Nest".

Although, most of our comrades at arms from CCAG weren't able to come because of the early morning downpour and also because Holy Week started just this Monday. Sayang, anyhow bilang na bilang kaming mga representative ng CCAG... around 5 to 6 players lang kami... with HGSL having 12 in their team.

I'm not good in commentating games, so let the photos do the talking...

Anton Daniel Taguiam de la Cruz. is an Art Director who specializes in both Advertising and 3D Environment Design. With years of experience in designing, conceptualizations, project design and development, art direction, branding and team management under his belt; he has been able to share all these into the academe. And just recently got back to his shoes, back into the advertising and design industry.

Anton is a graduate of the University of Santo Tomas, College of Fine Arts & Design, Majoring in Advertising Arts. He also took a Certificate course in 3D Animation at the First Academy of Computer Arts (2008), an Art History certificate course from UST (2012), and a Digital Cinematography course from the Philippine Center for Creative Imaging (2012).